This is from our Board Member, the awesome Amanda Masino:
Dear Friend of Huston-Tillotson University,
I am writing to update you on some exciting news from Huston-Tillotson University and ask for your support.
HT’s student group Green is the New Black has been invited to attend a global climate forum, the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP21) as part of a national Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) delegation to Paris this December. We are seeking donations to fund their attendance at this critical climate conference.
This is a historic opportunity for our students and for HT. Green is the New Black is one of HT’s most active student organizations. Over the last year, GITNB has brought their environmental justice mission to life by enacting campus projects like our Home Depot-funded Green Study Patio, raising environmental awareness through campus events and community talks, mentoring K-12 students, and building a campus garden. GITNB is a key element of HT’s growing green identity. The university has recently hired a full-time Sustainability Director and just completed installation of rooftop solar on three campus buildings. HT also partners with the Dumpster Project, an environmental education initiative, and has recently hosted the environmental justice-focused Building Green Justice Forum as well as a Shades of Green talk by environmental justice pioneer Dr. Beverly Wright.
We believe that it is important for HT and for our students to bring HBCU voices to this global discussion of climate change. GITNB students will speak to the environmental justice of climate change, voicing the concerns that underserved communities will continue to be disproportionally impacted and seeking solutions that address equity. After the conference, we will host a seminar at HT to share the experience with our campus community and act on what we have learned.
We need your support! Please see the attached document for details about GITNB, the HBCU delegation, student delegate profiles, and costs and feel free to contact me with any questions. Online donations can be processed through our eventbrite page:http://www.eventbrite.com/e/gitnb-cocktails-for-climate-tickets-19176053091
Thank you for your consideration,
Amanda
Associate Professor of Biology
Co-Director, The Dumpster Project
Huston-Tillotson University
900 Chicon Street DL-202
Austin, TX 78702
Cell: 206.579.1693
ammasino@htu.edu